Financial News November 2007

How to Compare Credit Cards In November

Are you looking for a new credit card or just to get one for the first time? When you are trying to obtain a credit card there are several things you will need to do before you actually apply. To compare credit cards is very important. If you don’t compare credit cards chances are you will wind up with a credit card that will eventually hurt you down the road. Let’s look at an example of why you should compare credit cards.

This person received credit card offers in the mail. The person filled out both offers hoping that one or the other would accept the application. The interest rates seemed fine and they were only offering a small balance. One of the credit card applications was for Discover. The other was for a visa card. This person had never had a credit card before and didn’t know anything about them so the person did not compare credit cards. Two years down the road the visa card was used for fraudulent activity and it was then the person learned the issuing bank was MBNA. Had this person spoken with other individuals they would have found out most are not happy with MBNA for various reasons and that they shouldn’t have used the card or applied for the card. The moral is that you have to compare credit cards in order to understand what companies are best and what companies have made changes recently to make them better. Is MBNA a good card? That is really your decision to make when you compare credit cards.

Most often you will find that the easy to obtain credit cards continue to raise the limits on the cards when they have seen you as a good customer. You will also realize when you compare credit cards that some are more willing to let security slid if you have an insignificant balance because they have several thousand customers to look after. You will also find when you compare credit cards that many lenders are now offering you payment protection that includes safety from fraudulent charges. When you ask yourself how to compare credit cards you really have to understand what you want from the credit card in the first place.

You don’t want to take the first credit card offer you see online or in the mail. You really have to do your research and compare credit cards in order to understand what policies are out there and which companies offer you better policies. Right now you will find some companies will refuse to lower your interest rate even after showing two or three years of solid payment history and a continually low balance. You will find some credit cards that will lower the credit limit for their good customers to keep them. To compare credit cards you really have to be on the ball for the current interest rates and what is fair. When you compare credit cards you also need to understand what they can do for you rather than what you will be doing for the lender.